The completion of a medical procedure is not the end of the medical care associated with that procedure. Wound and suture care is of critical importance, as infection, dehiscence and other complications can occur and result in, among other things, discomfort, scarring, and, in severe cases, death. These complications can require repeat follow-up visits or hospitalizations not only to treat the complications, but also to simply detect them. Such visits can be time consuming for both patient and caregiver, as well as costly for patients, insurers, and other parties involved in the provision of and payment for medical care, as described in more detail below.
Follow-up visits also affect doctors and hospitals. Unlike typical visits, doctors and hospitals shoulder the full cost of follow-up visits. This is because follow-up visits fall inside a grace period (otherwise known as the “global period”) following the procedure and cannot be reimbursed. Instead of earning money like they would from a typical appointment, doctors and hospitals are losing money on follow-up visits. Each year the U.S. medical system treats tens of millions of surgical and traumatic wounds, establishing follow-up visits not only as a financial burden but also a resource burden given the current shortage of physicians in the U.S. health care system.
Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons it would be desirable to have a technology that would provide a financial and social solution to the burden of follow-up visits.